1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to improvements to retail self-checkout systems, and more particularly to advantageous aspects of a system and methods for integrating a self-checkout system into an existing store system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In many current retail establishments, the checkout function is performed by cashiers, who operate checkout terminals connected into a network. At the hub of the network is a central server computer that accesses a database to provide pricing and product information, as requested by each terminal. The software that is run by the server computer and by the terminals is highly system-specific.
Recently, retail stores have started to introduce self-checkout terminals, at which the checkout function is performed by the retail customer, rather than by a store employee. However, it has proved to be difficult to integrate a self-checkout terminal into an already existing network of cashier-operated checkout terminals. Self-checkout systems in retail environments require tight integration with the store's retail software and its policies and procedures for store personnel.
Previous systems have attempted to address this by either attempting to rewrite the original software already in use in the store's other lanes or by sharing the store's data files with an original application that is different from the store's normal application. Both solutions have problems. First, using shared data alone can lead to incorrect pricing algorithms being employed, which usually results in prices being different in the self-checkout lane from the same items purchased in another lane. Second, rewriting the store's current application is expensive, time consuming, and creates a system that requires all changes to be duplicated in another code base.
There is thus a need for a system for integrating a self-checkout system into an already existing store system.